The Resource For North Carolina Parkour and Freerunning

Just Do It

Knowing is half the battle. Have you ever stumbled upon a great precision, cat, or vault that you decided to pass on because of the sheer fact that it’s up so high? Now if the particular movement had been five, twelve, twenty feet lower, you could have done it at that very moment. Over the past few months, I’ve worked on an easy technique in overcoming obstacles that I’ve found hard mentally and it can be applied to all similar obstacles. The secret is if you know, you can do. It is a very simple method that has helped me overcome particular movement but it’s difficult with the beginning process.

First, this method involves understanding what you can and cannot physically do. The range that you practice in is comfortable but you know whether or not if a particular movement can be accomplished. That same range, at high heights, intimidates you and often leaves you questioning whether or not it can be achieved. So you test it out by doing some run ups, looking at what is to be performed, and it clicks, you know you can do it. But then you see the consequences of failing; slipping from a hold, jumping too far, not running fast enough, etc. STOP. You’ve found the button.

Now this button, it’s not easy to push. It is concealed in places that you are, and I myself am, sometimes too scared to investigate. It’s hidden in places too high, too wet, too low, and too uncomfortable, etc for you to want to explore. If you understand why the button is concealed, you can understand how to find the button and push it. The more you DO investigate, the easier the button becomes to push in the future. Exploration of the button becomes nothing when you do.

Why is it so hard? Because knowing is half the battle. The other half of the battle comes down to your choice, your decision on whether or not you push that button, push yourself. Height is not an issue, it is only a factor for an obstacle; but like any other obstacle, you can go through, over under, or around it. You know what needs to be done and how it should be done, pushing yourself is the only way to find out what will happen – positive or negative. It becomes a huge movement when you cut and strip it for the factors that intimidate you. Instead, cut and strip the movement for the movement while only accounting different factors for different approaches. Remember, you are performing for the movement, not for the scary height, slippery step up, etc – once you do overcome your fear and accomplish your goal, these factors are now under your belt and should no longer bother you unconsciously. This of course only applies to that particular obstacle as no two are the same. Now I’m not promoting the idea to move on high, slippery walls; I’m promoting the idea to do when you know rather than to question your knowledge about yourself and your abilities.

That knowledge is something only you can understand and takes time to develop. Only you have the choice. Doing is such an easy process if you have the motivation to push yourself, if you put in the work, if you take time to understand yourself. The factors that scare you should not be taken light-heartedly but should not hold you back. Fear is a reminder of the dangers we are aware of, fear is a reminder that we can easily lose years worth of work in one moment, fear is a reminder that we are human.